These gorgeous handmade tiles from Popham Design have completely won us over. The encaustic cement tiles are made using a hydraulic press with air-drying, a method that uses much less energy than the firing technique used to make ceramic tiles. Cement tiles are durable, have very low VOC emissions, and all the materials (cement, sand, and ground marble) are sourced locally. They are completely stunning, and if we could cover our floors in these designs, believe us, we would. More photos below...

The designers behind Popham Designs are living a dream, in our opinion:

Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes lived and worked in New York and Los Angeles for over a decade before moving to Marrakech in June 2006. Samuel, a filmmaker, and Caitlin, a public relations executive specializing in design businesses, fantasized for some time about living in an exotic place together and starting a creative venture. The move to Marrakech delivered on both of those promises."

Check out a video of the design and manufacturing process:

See more gorgeous photos at Popham Design, and get order tiles through Ann Sacks.

Via Sprig